Power and Politics in Old Regime France 1720-1745
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The cardinal de Fleury, after a portrait by Rigaud POWER AND POLITICS IN OLD REGIME FRANCE 1720–1745 ‘A sophisticated and highly interpretive study of politics in the Age of Louis XV [that] will interest not only historians of ancien régime France, but all students of political life in Europe prior to the nineteenth century. By redirecting our attention to the crucial role that the King’s court played…and by demonstrating how politics at the highest levels actually worked in practice, Campbell has rendered a valuable service to readers interested in the nature of the early modern state.’ Albert N.Hamscher, Kansas State University Power and Politics in Old Regime France is a major history of the politics of the first half of the reign of Louis XV. It is based on exhaustive archival research and offers the first comprehensive analysis of the neglected ministries of the duc de Bourbon and the cardinal de Fleury. Peter R.Campbell deals first with court, faction and policy. A second section offers new interpretations of the crises provoked by Jansenism and the Paris parlement. By contrasting the methods and practices of political management in this period of successful government with the crisis of the old regime in the 1780s, he illuminates the underlying character of politics in the old regime and raises new questions about its collapse. An unusually substantial bibliography represents an invaluable resource to the researcher. Peter R.Campbell is a Lecturer in History in the School of European Studies, University of Sussex. His other publications include The Ancien Régime in France (Oxford, 1988) and Louis XIV (London, 1993). POWER AND POLITICS IN OLD REGIME FRANCE 1720–1745 Peter R.Campbell London and New York First published 1996 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003. Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an International Thomson Publishing company © 1996 Peter R.Campbell All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data Campbell, Peter Robert Power and Politics in Old Regime France, 1720–1745/Peter R.Campbell. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. France—Politics and government—1715–1774. 2. Louis XV, King of France, 1710–1774. 3. Fleury, André-Hercule de, 1653–1743. 4. Jansenists—France—History—18th century. 5. France. Parlement (Paris)—History—18th century. I. Title. DC133.4.C3 1996 320.944–dc20 95–41006 CIP ISBN 0-203-41369-5 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-72193-4 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0-415-06333-7 (Print Edition) CONTENTS List of illustrations x Acknowledgements xi PREFACE 1 The aims of this study; summary of the book. INTRODUCTION: APPROACHES TO POLITICS IN THE ANCIEN REGIME 10 Approaches to politics under the ancien régime; the debate on ‘absolute monarchy’; institutional history and the ethic of office-holding; the history of the royal finances; patronage, clientage and friendship; the study of faction; office and political power; court society; political culture, public space and the politics of contestation; defining politics in ancien régime France: an unsolved problem; the nature of crisis within the socio-political system; the need for a new history of politics. Part 1 Politics in a court society 1 THE RISE TO POWER OF ANDRE-HERCULE DE FLEURY 39 An ecclesiastical career: a family strategy; provincial patrons; royal almoner; bishop of Fréjus; appointment as preceptor. From preceptor to religious adviser, 1715–21: educating Louis XV; court politics in 1720; the conseil ecclésiastique; the affair of Louis’ betrothal; Fleury’s strong position. 2 THE ACQUISITION OF A MINISTERIAL POST, 1721–3 51 The situation of the Regent; the old court; the cabal; the Regent’s strategy; Fleury, a minister of state; the succession to d’Orléans. 3 THE MINISTRY OF THE DUC DE BOURBON, 1723–6 69 Introduction; Bourbon and Fleury; the situation of Bourbon; Fleury’s position; foreign affairs; the marriage of Louis XV; the religious issue; financial policy. vii CONTENTS 4 THE DISGRACING OF BOURBON 93 A survey of the evidence; the rising tide of opposition; the disgrace of the duc de Bourbon. 5 THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE MINISTRY OF FLEURY 110 Fleury, his character and situation; ministerial changes; Le Blanc and Desforts; the state of the factions: the Orleanists and the Spanish party; financial measures; concessions to the cabal; Fleury reconstructs his ministry; his position consolidated. 6 THE CONTROL OF PATRONAGE AND POLICY 129 Louis XV; patronage; ecclesiastical patronage; a ‘third party’ in the church; forms of lay patronage; the patronage of Languedoc; spheres of ministerial influence; Daguesseau; Maurepas; Saint-Florentin; d’Angervilliers; Orry; Chauvelin; Amelot de Chaillou; Hérault and the police; religious policy; influential nobles: the ducs de Noailles, d’Antin, d’Estrées; the comte de Toulouse; councils and legal form; the travail. 7 THE POLITICS OF FACTION 156 The need to master faction; the case of Chauvelin; Chauvelin’s dismissal; the situation after Chauvelin’s fall; the Toulouse affair; the foreign policy crisis in 1740; the factions in 1740; the Chauvelin faction; the Noailles; the Belle-Isle faction; Belle-Isle triumphs; military campaigns and factions; two new ministers; the death of Fleury; ministerial anarchy. 8 CONCLUSION TO PART 1: THE POLITICAL CULTURE OF COURT SOCIETY 177 Role of the king; role of a first minister; definition of the court; socio- political importance of the court; patronage and clientage; attitude of a minister; interweaving of ministerial rivalries and politics; attitude of a courtier; strategies of ambition; importance of ministerial unity; outside influences on politics. Part 2 Jansenism, politics and the parlement of Paris INTRODUCTION 193 9THE PARTI JANSEN ISTE IN THE 1720s AND 1730s 195 Introduction; the history of Jansenism; Figurism; who were the Jansenists?; the organisation of the parti; Jansenist strategies; ministerial attitudes to Jansenism; the political activity of the parti janséniste; magistrates and lawyers; Jansenism and political theory. 10 THE PARLEMENT OF PARIS 222 Social and institutional characteristics of the parlement: the parlement’s jurisdiction; its several chambers; its venal officers; procedures; viii CONTENTS attendance; the basoche; social characteristics; rhetorical education and wealth; self-image. The historiography of the parlement: selfish, politically ambitious oligarchy, or defender of the people? A renewed emphasis on judicial functions; new approaches; the study of crises. 11 THE CRISIS OF 1730–2: THE GENESIS OF THE CRISIS 237 Account of the crisis; historiography and evidence; ministerial perceptions of Jansenism; the constitutionnaires; royal policy towards the parlement; motives for opposition; role of the parti janséniste; hierarchy, youth and corporate honour; errors of management and growing tensions; lawyers; role of First President; the conflict escalates; summary of the causes of the 1732 crisis. 12 THE CRISIS OF 1730–2: RESOLVING THE CRISIS 259 Clients, spies and informants; confrontation, escalation and the process of resolution; bluff and negotiations; return and recalcitrance; resistance and exile; a compromise solution; the crisis reassessed; role of the Jansenists; Gallicanism; defence of jurisdiction the key; the importance of political management. 13 MANAGING THE PARLEMENT: 1733–43 AND BEYOND 275 Conflict and management; continuing tensions; the dixième; Jansenist agitation 1733–6; the barristers’ pretensions defeated; the Douai affair and interpretations of politics; a crisis averted; the affair of Saint-Vincent de Paul; the Grand Conseil, a jurisdictional threat; the courts successfully managed; failures of management in the 1750s; contrast with the 1730s. 14 CONCLUSION 296 Interpretations of politics reconsidered; the political system of the ‘baroque state’; the crisis of the 1780s. Appendices 1 The King’s ministers 1723–45 319 2 The identity of the Jansenist magistrates 321 3 Chronological table of events in the Paris parlement, 1730–2 326 Notes 328 Bibliography 378 Index 413 ix ILLUSTRATIONS The cardinal de Fleury Frontispiece Louis XV and his courtiers hunting at the château de Marly (1730) 179 The cemetery of Saint-Médard (1732) 207 Lit de justice at the parlement of Paris, 22 February 1723 224 Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In attempting to arrive at my own understanding of the structure of politics in the ancien régime, I have incurred many debts of gratitude which it is a pleasure to acknowledge. Without financial support in the form of research grants from the CNRS, the French government and Leicester University, I would have found it difficult to complete the doctoral research on which much of the book is based. Postdoctoral research from 1985 to 1991 was funded by the University of Sussex on several occasions, and in 1989 a British Academy Research Award enabled me to investigate the links between Jansenism and lawyers in the Paris parlement. The Isobel Thornley Bequest has offered a grant towards the costs of publication, for which I am extremely grateful. I owe a great intellectual debt to Roger Mettam, who first encouraged my project, supervised my doctoral research with patience and incisive criticism, and shared his understanding of the ancien régime with me. When I began research in 1976 little had been published on either court society or patronage and clientage, and David Starkey and Eveline Cruickshanks were particularly helpful in getting me started. Throughout my career the seminar in Early Modern European History at the Institute of Historical Research has provided a sounding board and forum for discussion from which I have greatly benefited.